Input: Curiosity Begets Utility

People exceptionally talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.

Clifton Strengths Finder

People with high Input have an unquenched thirst to know more. They are continuously seeking more information, more knowledge, and more resources. One of my favorite Input-ers is my coworker Allyson Horne. She explains her Input by sharing that her favorite sentences end in a question mark. By asking questions, Allyson shows her love for and interest in the other person’s life. Questions are natural and normal in every conversation for someone with Input. They have an insatiable curiosity. Gallup writes, “A few minutes of surfing on the internet may turn into hours once their curiosity takes in.”

People with high Input often collect things. Unlike someone with high Context who may collect maps or historical stamps, or someone with Relator who may save letters and pictures from loved ones, the collections of someone with Input consists of artifacts that can be used in the future. This means articles, books, quotes, websites, facts, or other tools are often saved. They collect this information from the motivation of future utilization. They might not be the ones to utilize the information per say, but they will be the ones to share it with someone else who can put it into action.

18.1% of mentors and 15.2% of mentees have Input in their Top 5. Here are questions to help you and your mentee have strengths-based discussion around the theme of Input:

Tell me about what you are reading. What is next on your list? What particularly interests you?
What do you want to know most about? Are there specific problems issues, or subjects you want to learn about?
What new words have you been collecting? How do you try them out?
Whom do you find intellectually stimulating?

-Tess

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